First-time homelessness is on the rise in Midland County, with the inability to pay rent or mortgage as one of the leading causes, according to results of last month’s homeless survey.

The annual point-in-time survey is part of a nationwide effort to collect data, determine trends, identify needs and raise awareness about homelessness.

This year, Midland Homeless Coalition members asked people living in shelter programs and out on the streets about their job status, education history, medical care and where they slept the night before.

The coalition identified 254 homeless individuals --155 adults and 99 children -- during the Jan. 23 count. The number is higher from last year and the highest since 2009, said Midland Homeless Coalition Chairwoman Linda Hamblin.

A little more than half reported being homeless for the first time in the past three years, with top reasons being unable to pay rent or mortgage, domestic violence and unemployment.

“We have a housing shortage and population boom, which has really stretched our shelter capacity,” Hamblin said.

Midland’s supercharged economy and high monthly rents have created a new class of working homeless. A third of respondents said they were jobless, but 33 percent had regular full-time employment and 26 percent had regular part-time employment or a temporary or day job.

“Most people, when they think of homeless, they think of the guy with the shopping cart or lady under the bridge,” said Salvation Army of Midland’s Capt. Tex Ellis last year. “You don’t really realize that guy you’re working with eight hours a day might not have anywhere to go when they get off work.”

Survey results show that more than half of the respondents stayed in emergency or transitional shelters the night before. But for one-third of respondents, the previous night’s lodging was not meant for habitation, according to the survey.

That’s where Church Under the Bridge Midland comes in.

Led by founder and president Evan Rogers, the homeless outreach ministry seeks to provide basic needs to Midlanders living on the streets. Rogers’ volunteers completed this year’s street count, which proved difficult in previous years because of the population’s wariness and distrust.

About half of survey respondents were children, but Hamblin pointed out at Thursday’s meeting that not all were receiving enrollment assistance.

Some mothers do not report their living situation because they worry their children will be taken away, but she said educational services are available for homeless families.

“Stability is critical for academic performance,” Hamblin said.

The Texas Homeless network, which helps communities perform their point-in-time surveys for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, at first estimated Midland County’s homeless population to be between 360 and 460.

But Hamblin said 2010 Census data was plugged into the formulas used to determine the estimates, and those numbers don’t reflect Midland’s booming population.

After making slight adjustments, Hamblin said Midland’s estimated homeless population on that one night is 542 based on a range of 360 to 735. And survey results show their biggest needs are basic, such as food and clothing, case management and job training and placement.

The annualized homeless count reflects the number of different homeless individuals that would be in Midland sometime during the year, and the HUD estimates that number to be 645 based on a range of 457 to 832.